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Future Watch 2024
Our annual Future Watch edition is now 116 pages packed with info examining the prospect pipeline for each NHL club and counting down the top 100 prospects in the game. In our NHL Team Reports, you'll find scouting reports for the top 10 prospects for each organization. In addition, we take an in-depth look at two teams with the best systems: the St. Louis Blues and Detroit Red Wings. And we also have features on several of the game's best youngsters, including Matvei Michkov, Will Smith, Liam Ohgren and Adam Gajan.
DALLAS STARS
DALLAS HAS HAD SEVERAL prospects in recent years who were not splashy in the minors but turned out to be game-breakers. This year, it is clear the Stars have top-level talent, with players like Mavrik Bourque and Logan Stankoven ready to break into the NHL. But with cap constraints keeping them in the minors, they continue racking up points in the AHL. One absence from Dallas’ top prospect list is a goalie of the future. While Jake Oettinger is not going anywhere for the foreseeable future, it is always best to have a strong prospect waiting in the wings. B | RANK: 12TH 1. LOGAN STANKOVEN OVERALL 22 C, 21, 5-7, 170 Texas (AHL) 46–24–33–57–26 2021 draft, 47th overall The Stars are over the moon with Stankoven’s transition to the pros. The rookie led AHL scorers at the…
VANCOUVER CANUCKS
IN A BOTTOM-LINE NHL, where winning is everything, it’s tough to come out on top while protecting prize prospects. But this season, the Canucks are not only winning – they sat first overall in the NHL standings as the league broke for the All-Star Game – they won plaudits for not parting with top prospect Jonathan Lekkerimaki in the Jan. 31 trade for versatile center Elias Lindholm from Calgary. The Canucks did part with high-scoring OHL blueliner Hunter Brzustewicz, a 2023 third-round pick, in the trade package. He would’ve slotted in as the Canucks’ No. 2 prospect. But retaining Lekkerimaki was key. C+ | RANK: 21ST 1. JONATHAN LEKKERIMAKI OVERALL 11 RW, 19, 5-11, 172 Orebro (Swe.) 37–14–9–23–10 2022 draft, 15th overall Lekkerimaki overcame injuries and mononucleosis last year and gained conditioning and confidence to become a sensation…
2024 TOP 100 PROSPECTS
IT’S ALWAYS REWARDING TO see the year-over-year turnover in the Future Watch top-100 prospect list. Logan Cooley was No. 1 last year, and look what he’s doing as an NHL teenager in Arizona this season. In many cases, it’s the players further down the list who jump out at you. Minnesota’s Brock Faber (No. 25 last year) and Marco Rossi (No. 20) are going to get Calder Trophy votes. So too are New Jersey’s Luke Hughes (No. 3) and Calgary’s Connor Zary (No. 60). Thirteen of the top 26 prospects from a year ago have graduated to the NHL. So too did the top three players selected in the 2023 draft. Connor Bedard, Leo Carlsson and Adam Fantilli bypassed Future Watch. We asked a scout or director of player personnel from each team…
DESIGNING DYNAMIC DUOS
IT’S ONE THING TO be a singular talent on the ice. It’s quite another when you can mesh seamlessly with other top players. For Spokane Chiefs center Berkly Catton, his draft year has been a perfect example of the latter. During his scintillating season in the WHL, Catton has been part of a devastating 1-2 punch for the Chiefs with Conner Roulette – a former Dallas Stars pick who is now an NHL free agent and who came over from the Saskatoon Blades in the off-season. Catton was also a standout at the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game while playing on a line with Kelowna’s Tij Iginla, a fellow first-round hopeful. “He’s a super-easy guy to play with,” Iginla said. “As a center, he’s always in the right spots. He’s super smart,…
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